<p>Just what the title suggests, what is your environmental/political stance on the issue of global warming?</p>
<p>Global warming is occuring but not by the suggested methods. It is a media storm fueled by the likes of Al Gore to gain ulterior motives. I'm only a junior in high school, but I submitted this to my school paper:</p>
<p>Global Warming: Scare Tactics?</p>
<pre><code>Its in the papers. Its on the news. Everywhere you go, global warming is always a topic of debate. With Al Gores movie and the likes of the UN advocating change, the publics opinion is that the people are causing this. Whether this is true or not, many do not know all of the facts. Many highly esteemed scientists believe that ulterior motives are the cause for the blaming of global warming on people. Political agendas and media hype are often blamed for the global warming issue as each side of the argument brings up strong arguments in their favor. Most people dont know the facts behind the event and do not care to know as they are swept into the media storm.
Cyclical Temperature Patterns
One cannot deny the fact that the worlds temperature is increasing. With this increase in temperature comes the melting of the ice caps, erratic weather, and raised ocean levels. But is this anything out of the ordinary? Are these events truly caused by the industrialized modern world and our carbon dioxide emissions? The truth is, the earth commonly undergoes cyclical changes in temperature and has done so consistently over history. Records going back hundreds of years prove that there have been increases and decreases in global temperature numerous times. But were those shifts in temperature caused by increases in carbon dioxide produced by humans? Of course not! The earth goes through patterns of temperature change and this just isnt anything out of the ordinary.
Carbon Dioxide
At the root of most arguments for the fact that people are causing global warming is the fact that carbon dioxide levels are rising. Because of these rising levels, they say, the temperature will rise. If one were to entertain the truth of this statement, this would mean that the carbon dioxide levels produced by humans in the recent years would have to be considerably large. Yet this is not the case. Each year, humans and all machinery made by man produce 7 gigatons, or 7 billion tons, of carbon dioxide. This includes factories, cars, and people themselves. In the same year, all the volcanoes on earth produce 130 gigatons, or 130 billion tons, of carbon dioxide. That means that just the worlds volcanoes produce 18 times more carbon dioxide than people do each year. Couple that idea with the amount of carbon dioxide nature that puts into the atmosphere, and suddenly 7 gigatons because an unimportant number. It is such a small increase that it isnt feasible that such a small number could have a profound effect on the planet. On the contrary, it has been proven that the carbon dioxide levels are dependent on the earths temperature, and not the other way around. This means that carbon dioxide levels dont really affect the earths temperature and are rather a result of an increase in the earths temperature.
Further disproving the theory that carbon dioxide levels regulate the earths temperature are stats from less than 100 years ago. According to the critically acclaimed documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle, by Martin Durkin, starting in 1900 and progressing through to 1970, the earths temperature was in a decline. But how could this be. This was a time of immense manufacturing capabilities previously unknown as well as the dawn of the automobile. During this time, carbon dioxide levels surely rose yet the temperature went down. How can this be so? According to Al Gore, carbon dioxide levels correlate strongly with increases in temperature. But how can Gore explain the decrease in temperature during this time. His theory contradicts it and he would be unable to disprove it. Gore efficiently displayed facts in his documentary An Inconvenient Truth but displays them in a fashion which only strengthens his own idea.
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<p>But the ice caps are melting!</p>
<pre><code>The biggest arguments from environmentalists will always and up citing the fact that The ice caps are melting! There is no denying that the polar caps are indeed melting. But why? Is it really from an increase in carbon dioxide levels over the last 100-200 years? Surely this idea doesnt make sense. Everyone who has seen the popular movies Ice Age and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown can tell you that the ice caps expand and contract throughout history. This is also proven through scientific studies done by drilling the ice caps. Through detailed analysis of ice core samples, it has been shown that it actually happens routinely and commonly throughout time. People think that the melting of the ice caps spells doom and catastrophe for the earth, but in reality, it has happened before and the earth has gotten through it.
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<p>The Sun</p>
<pre><code>According to Martin Durkins documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle, the sun is the main cause of todays global warming. The sun goes through periods of increased activity and because of this, the earths temperature will fluctuate. An increase in solar flares will cause an increase in global temperature and can effectively be identified as a reasonable explanation of global warming. The fact that the sun is taking part in global warming makes sense because it is indeed the source of heat for the planet. Gore and other critics claim that an increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide should be identified as the main culprit of the earths warming. But is such a small increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere a valid explanation for such a drastic change in the earths climate. It is more feasible that the increased intensity of the sun is the cause rather than an inconsequential increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
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<p>Political Agenda</p>
<pre><code>Perhaps the most glaring absence of information is the politically driven agenda behind this global warming storm. Does it really make sense that the modern world leaders who usually concern themselves with money and power are suddenly concerned with the environment? It seems that all of a sudden, the most important people in the world have jumped on this bandwagon and believe in all the hype. But this isnt the case in most situations. Behind their false pretenses, a strong ulterior motive is hidden. The true reason behind this movement is the repression of advancing 3rd world countries. The industrialized countries of the world are using global warming to ensure that 3rd world countries primarily in Africa are unable to industrialize themselves. Organizations as high as the U.N. are urging African countries to resort to alternate sources of energy like wind and solar energy to fuel their up and coming industries. Not only are the African countries unable to afford these technologies, they dont work as efficiently as the available resources of oil and coal. Trapping them into using alternate sources of energy, these countries are stuck in the 3rd world because they do not have the necessary resources to modernize themselves. If they were able to use oil and coal to power industry, capital would be created and these countries would be able to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. Understanding this idea is key to understanding the political action behind curbing carbon dioxide emissions. As unfortunate as it is, it is the sad truth behind many political agendas around the world. So next time you hear about global warming, try to educate your peers about the truth behind the global warming media storm.
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<p>I believe our actions directly affect the enviornment. Weather "global warming" is because of us, or just a cyclic pattern of all time, we should take the warnings seriously. Cmon, we're not very nice to our enviornment at all...At All...AT ALL!! There is sooo much that we could do to make the Earth a healthier, cleaner place and in result, make us humans happier, healther, etc etc. We're in DIRE need of some TLC for our planet and hey, maybe the extra attention on the Earth will help us find some new resources, medicines, etc etc etc...</p>
<p>I agree with tek on several points.</p>
<p>However for clean air, and dwindling oil supplies, I think we should still be working to develop other alternative fuel sources and more efficient vehicles.</p>
<p>I side with the vast majority of scientists and the IPCC. I suggest that anyone interested in the topic read the IPCC reports, available here. <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/%5B/url%5D">http://www.ipcc.ch/</a> </p>
<p>I would rather believe an international panel of scientists writing a thousand plus page report than a British producer who once made a documentary saying that breast implants were good for women's health. Citing two animated movies as scientific evidence doesn't help your argument either. Read the IPCC report.</p>
<p>science is very often wrong, looking back on history. it is almost always corrected or edited as time goes on. we look back on scientists 200 years ago and say, "wow. they knew nothing". most likely, 200 years from now people will look back and say the same thing. i believe that global warming is a real thing, but not because current science says it is. i believe that global warming is real because when something is blasted into the planet (e.g. CO2) at amounts that are way beyond moderation, SOMETHING is going to happen. action>reaction. we don't know right now if it's going to be as bad as they say it is or worse, but personally i'd rather not take the chance. moderation and balance are key.</p>
<p>I think that global warming is a serious issue (whether human-caused or otherwise) resulting in drastic environmental effects (most likely not good for us...). Plus, I agree with collegeguy2k7 that we should be finding alternative fuel sources despite the global warming argument. I doubt anyone can dispute there's such a thing called urban air pollution that's most certainly man-made.</p>